Amber
by MadameMeow
Summary: Laying down the foundation for an alternate universe in which one change in the past causes many things in the future to be different. Not a Kikyou fic, despite her prominence in the prologue.


Amber - Prologue  
By Madame Meow  
  
  
Gee, what can I say? First of all, this is an Inu-Yasha Universe fic in   
the sense that it has the same cast, and the Bone-Eater's well acts as a   
passage between the past and the future. In fact, everything is the same   
up until the fight between Inu-Yasha and Kikyou right at the beginning.   
After that it gets different... Um, very different, actually. But the only   
change you need to know at this point is that Kikyou survived the injuries   
Inu-Yasha inflicted upon her.   
Oh, also, this is going to be a Sesshimaru/Kagome fic. ^_^;;   
Perhaps for my first Inu-Yasha fic (but not my first fanfic) I should have   
chosen to do a Kagome/Inu-Yasha fic, especially since I like that coupling   
too, but oh well. *shrugs* I like it this way better.  
Umm, I don't own Inu-Yasha. If I did, Inu-chan and Sessh-baby   
wouldn't be near as bishounen. I can't draw worth beans. Other than   
that, beware bad spelling/grammar and unmarked plot holes. And Enjoy.   
Or at least try to.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
What is Amber,  
But the essence of a life,  
The heart-fire of a tree,  
Hardened by the callous indifference,  
Of the outside world.  
  
Beware the Frozen Flame,  
That it might clasp you up,  
Bound you tight,  
And imprison you in its glow.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kikyou meditated quietly on one of the God Tree's large roots,   
mentally reinforcing the bonds of the curse upon her once-love. Opening   
her eyes, she looked at the dog-demon, who slumbered in eternal near-  
death. She was able to look at him dispassionately now, most of her   
wistfulness and love having long drained away, leaving only the   
occasional feeling of vague sympathy when she thought of her daughter.   
The poor child was in the same boat he was in, now. And all because of   
Motoki. She snorted at the thought of her cat-demon husband, but her   
lips tugged upwards.  
  
Who would ever have thought that she would fall in love again?   
And with a full demon at that. When Motoki had sauntered into the   
village one day, full of lazy confidence, and sly innuendoes, Kikyou found   
herself being riled up for the first time in years. In his presence, her   
practiced priestess demeanor disappeared as if it had never been.   
Fearing her lack of self-control, and memories of her last encounter with   
Inu-Yasha drifting through her head, she had done her level best to evict   
him. But short of attempting spiritual force, something almost   
guaranteed to fail given the power of an average neko-yasha, all she   
could do was make his stay vastly unpleasant. Which she did.  
  
Fortunately, though Kikyou hadn't thought so at the time,   
something about her had attracted him, and he had been back, many,   
many times. No matter what she said or did, no matter how mean or   
obnoxious she acted, he would simply laugh it off, caress her cheek and   
say she was beautiful when she was being spiteful. (chibi-Madame Meow:   
The cat came back, the very next day,/ the cat came back, they thought   
he was a goner,/ but the cat came back, the very next day, he just   
wouldn't stay away... hehe, gomen) Eventually he had worn her down,   
and they had become friends, then lovers, and finally demon and wife.   
Sometimes Kikyou wondered what would have happened if Motoki hadn't   
slipped into her heart the way he had. Would she have died, alone and   
bitter, holding close to her heart the twisted, sour memory of her   
doomed first love? She could only hope that Motoki knew how grateful   
she was for him.  
  
As if summoned by her thoughts, a tingle shivered down her spine,   
announcing the approach of her husband. Standing unsteadily, she   
almost fell, but Motoki's strong clawed hand caught her elbow at the last   
moment. Pulling her up and around to face him, he tsked playfully.  
  
"Watch yourself, beloved. You wouldn't want to leave you daughter   
with only a father, now would you? Who knows what she might grow up   
knowing, ne?"  
  
Kikyou smiled calmly. "I would trust you to raise her as a daughter   
should be raised, husband, because you know I would haunt till your   
dying day you should she be raised incorrectly."  
  
Motoki pretended to cower. "Don't say things like that with such a   
straight face, Kikyou love. I might be tempted to take you seriously!"  
  
Kikyou laughed. "Of course, I would never do that to my darling   
Neko-chan. But speaking of our daughter, who did you leave her with?"  
  
"Ah, Kaede is watching her. She has grown to be a very responsible   
young woman, and a capable priestess."  
  
"Not any longer, I'm afraid."  
  
Startled, Kikyou and Motoki turned to stare at the speaker who had   
managed to sneak up on them, despite Kikyou's spiritual power and   
Motoki's demon senses.  
  
Standing on the ground a couple dozen meters away stood a tall   
demon with long silver-white hair, amber eyes, and dark stripes on his   
cheeks. The youkai wore elegant white clothing, bone armor, and a puffy   
white muff hung over his shoulder. (Sessh-baby: *grouches* It's NOT a   
muff...) However, what caught Kikyou's immediate attention was not the   
strange demon's incredible good looks, or even his immense aura of   
power. It was the bloodstains on the demon's right claw, and the tiny   
black haired baby resting in the crook of his arm.  
  
Kikyou's eyes widened in panic. "KAGOME!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sesshimaru looked distantly down at the cherubic hanyou baby in   
his arms. Evidence of her neko-yasha ancestry was written all over her,   
from the large black ears that poked out from her wispy black baby hair,   
to the green slitted-pupil eyes, to the slender black tail that the baby was   
currently happily playing with. But the baby itself was only a tool. And as   
such, meant nothing to him. Bored with the child, he handed it to his   
retainer, Jaken.  
  
"Keep your distance, Priestess, if you want to see your daughter   
survive this encounter." Glancing at the snarling cat-demon beside her,   
his lip curled. "I am disgusted to find that the rumors are true, Motoki.   
You have, it seems, indeed taken a human as your mate."  
  
Motoki thrust his wife behind him, his entire body vibrating with   
fury. "Not everyone shares your foolish prejudices, Sesshimaru. Now   
give me my daughter!"  
  
Sesshimaru snorted. "I should put the weak thing out of its misery   
now, before it realizes what an abomination it is." He shot a disdainful   
look at Kikyou, and waved a hand at his immobilized half-brother "Did   
you not learn your lesson with the pup, Priestess? Hanyou are weak and   
not to be trusted, as you should recall. Whatever possessed you to go   
about making a new one?"  
  
Kikyou struggled to remain calm, to ignore the danger her precious   
child was in. "I don't think that's any of your business, Sesshimaru. What   
happened to my sister, who was watching the child?"  
  
Jaken, acting as a chew toy to the boisterous baby he was holding,   
(chibi-Madame Meow: You have to wonder if that's sanitary...) did his best   
to cackle menacingly, despite his undignified circumstances. "The stupid   
human attempted to protect the baby from my master. She learned the   
foolishness of such an action with her death."  
  
Kikyou paled, her insides quaking with grief, while Motoki hissed   
and spat with rage. But however agonizing the thought of her sister's   
demise might be, Kagome was still alive, and that had to come first.   
"What do you want of us, that you would kidnap my daughter, and   
murder my family?"  
  
Sesshimaru eyed the Priestess coldly. "In return for your daughter, I   
demand that you release my childish half-brother, Inu-Yasha."  
  
Shocked, Kikyou jerked backwards. "Release Inu-Yasha? Are you   
out of your mind?"  
  
Motoki glowered at Sesshimaru. "I had thought that there was no   
love between the two of you, Sesshimaru. Why would you want him   
released?"  
  
Sesshimaru's already cold eyes turned glacial. "My reasons are my   
concern. Either concede to my demands, or I have my retainer finish the   
child off.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ahem, ahem. See deviant writing style caused by writer's block.  
  
See Motoki. See Kikyou. See Motoki and Kikyou hop on the good   
foot and do the bad thing. See Kikyou cursing Motoki for a devil-  
spawned son of a bitch (not entirely inaccurate) and giving birth to baby   
Kagome. See Kikyou forgive Motoki. See Motoki and Kikyou live happily.  
  
See Sesshimaru. See Sesshimaru kidnap baby Kagome. See Motoki   
and Kikyou freak. See Motoki's Current Train-of-Thought.  
  
Motoki's Current Train-of-Thought: Big-Ass Dog Demon + Dead   
Sister-In-Law + Kidnapped Beloved Baby Daughter + Release of Possibly   
Insane and Definitely Homicidal Hanyou = Very Bad Headache. And/Or   
KILL!  
  
See end of deviant writing style caused by writer's block.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Unfortunately, Sesshimaru was well aware of what was going   
through Motoki's little head. So he wasn't exactly surprised when Motoki   
leapt at him, claws extended and fangs bared. It was only Motoki's feline   
agility that prevented the swipe aimed at his head from decapitating him.   
As it was, Sesshimaru's claws slammed into his shoulder and flung him   
against the God Tree, a few feet away from the inert Inu-Yasha, knocking   
him unconscious.   
  
Groggily, Motoki lifted his head, his vision blurring. Dimly, he   
could see Sesshimaru with his hand on the back of his wife's neck,   
forcibly guiding her towards Inu-Yasha. Though his head and shoulder   
were throbbing viciously, he slowly readjusted his position so that it   
would be easier to attack the dog demon when he finally let go of Kikyou.   
He struggled to control the red haze that threatened to descend upon   
him when he saw the trickle of blood seeping from the points were   
Sesshimaru's claws had pierced her delicate skin.  
  
Breathing slowly, as evenly as he could, he watched as Sesshimaru   
forced Kikyou up next to the Hanyou. Trembling, she placed a hand on   
the arrow that impaled the young dog demon. With a flash of blinding   
pinkish light, the arrow disintegrated into dust.   
  
Inu-Yasha's gleaming gold eyes slowly began to open. However,   
even as his half-brother was gaining awareness, Sesshimaru's hand shot   
out and pinned him by the throat to the tree. Inu-Yasha's eyes opened   
wide in shock and startlement, and taking the opportunity, Sesshimaru   
reached in and plucked out the young demon's right pupil, shoving   
Kikyou from him. (chibi-Madame Meow: I think it was the right one.   
Anyone know for sure?) Inu-Yasha screamed in pain, then cried out again   
as his brother back-handed him onto the ground a few meters away.  
  
Confused and aching, Motoki watched in growing awe as the tiny   
black pearl the hanyou's eye had contained expanded into a swirling   
black portal. A portal that the powerful dog demon promptly jumped   
into, and swirled closed behind him.  
  
Motoki didn't know whether to curse or be relieved. On the one   
hand, Motoki REALLY wanted to tear the creep apart. On the other, he   
was gone, and Motoki had no idea if he would ever come back. Which   
was a good thing. That meant he couldn't torment his wife and daughter   
any more. Speaking of daughters...  
  
Motoki hauled himself painfully to his feet, and turned menacingly   
upon Sesshimaru's retainer, who was belatedly realizing that his master   
had abandoned him...with a very angry neko-yasha whose daughter he   
was still holding hostage. Motoki was sure that if Jaken could have   
turned greener, he would have. As it was, Jaken gulped visibly and began   
edging backwards.  
  
Healing quickly, as demons will, Motoki glided towards the doomed   
Icky-Bumpy-Nasty Thing. Said Icky-Bumpy-Nasty Thing squealed in fear   
when he unexpectedly came up against the rim of the Bone-Eater's well.   
Sensing a way to turn the tables, Jaken whirled around, hopped up on the   
rim of the well, and dangled baby Kagome precariously from his staff,   
over the darkness within.  
  
Jaken grinned nastily, secure once more. "I wouldn't come closer,   
demon. Sesshimaru-sama will be back soon enough, ready to deal with   
you."  
  
Motoki froze, unable to move for fear of startling ugly creature's   
grip into weakening. But he couldn't stay here forever...if the toad knew   
what his master had intended by jumping into the portal, then it was   
quite possible that he was correct in assuming Sesshimaru would return   
quickly, rendering rescue impossible. Motoki's demonic instincts waged   
a furious war against his debilitating concern, but before either side   
could overwhelm the other, the issue became a moot point.  
  
A faint whooshing sound behind him announced the reopening of   
the portal. Motoki glanced back and saw Sesshimaru emerge, watched as   
the portal closed and reformed into a black pearl in the palm of   
Sesshimaru's hand. The snarl of frustration on the Youkai's face was   
enough to take his breath away, and as he watched, Sesshimaru crushed   
the offending pearl into shining black dust. Then baby Kagome's cry   
called him back to what...HAD been imminent danger.  
  
Jaken, in his excitement upon seeing his master, had hopped up   
and down happily. The fold of fabric that had held Kagome upon the   
stick had loosened, then slipped off. Kagome had cried out in anxious   
baby displeasure as she descended into the unfriendly darkness.  
  
Motoki, and Kikyou, who had been recovering from Sesshimaru's   
shove (which had the approximate force of a pick-up truck), screamed   
Kagome's name. Motoki, the only one of the two currently mobile, raced   
to the well and leapt in, searching desperately below him as he fell. But   
even when he touched down at the bottom, he could see no sign of his   
daughter. No gurgling, laughing Hanyou, no broken bloody mess of a   
corpse. Nothing. Kagome had disappeared.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Mikana sat on the steps of the mini-shrine housing the 'Legendary'   
Bone-Eaters well. At least, it was legendary according to her father, not   
that that was much of a recommendation. But she wasn't going to think   
of her father right now. If she did, she'd probably end up with a mental   
image of him saying, "I told you so", which would only sour her mood   
further.  
  
Turns out he had been right about Ten-kun after all. He'd been   
looking for nothing but a good time, not the lasting relationship she'd   
hoped for so badly. And when she'd tried to guide Ten towards the kind   
of response she'd thought appropriate for a loving boyfriend, he'd   
freaked out, accused her of trying to change him (well, maybe just a   
smidgen), and dropped her like a hot potato.  
  
What was wrong with wanting him to act like he loved her. If he   
did, why couldn't he show it? Was there something about her that was   
intrinsically unlovable. She just wanted to be loved unconditionally. Was   
that too much to ask? (chibi-Madame Meow: ^_^;;) Even her father   
seemed to love his precious shrine more than he loved her!  
  
Mikana was startled from her morose thoughts by the cry of the   
baby. That in itself wasn't so strange. Families often brought their   
young children when visiting the shrine. However, this cry was coming   
from INSIDE the Bone-Eater's Shrine. Since she had been sitting there for   
over half an hour, and no one had so much as walked by, she was   
understandable bewildered. But she was curious too, and so standing,   
she turned and opened the shrine's old wooden doors.  
  
The inside was dark and musty smelling, as the place hadn't been   
opened in years, by her father's order. Looking around, she couldn't see   
any marks in the dusk covering the floor, where a toddler might have   
crawled in. Listening closely, she attempted to locate the direction of the   
cry. Following the sound, she ended up in front of the boarded up old   
well. Staring at it in disbelief, she shook her head. No way was the   
crying coming from in there! The cover might be old, but all the nails   
were still in place, and the dusk was a solid, thick layer.   
  
A particularly loud wail echoed up to her ears. Her father's tales of   
dead monsters that had been left to decay with in the well drifted   
through her head. But the sound was so distressed, and so much like a   
baby's...Surely it couldn't be anything evil!  
  
Trembling with mixed curiosity and fear, Mikana pried the old nails   
out of the boards, then lifted up the cover. Instantly, the wailing was   
more pronounced. Definitely from the bottom of the well, then.  
  
Bending over the edge, trying to see into the darkness that was the   
well, she wasn't paying very much attention to her surroundings. So   
when a breeze slammed the shrine door against the wall, she shrieked in   
surprise, overbalanced, and fell down into the very darkness she had   
been trying to see into.  
  
Moments later, she landed with a crunch on piles of old bones.   
Apparently, for once her father's stories had been founded in fact. While   
they probably weren't the bones of monsters, bodies had definitely been   
thrown in here, a long time ago. A soft mewing whimper a few feet away   
from her reminded her of why she was in this dumb well in the first place.  
  
Her first glimpse of the crying baby had her rethinking her stance   
o, the probability of the bones around her being the bones of monsters.   
After all, if babies with silky black cat ears, slitted eyes, and to all   
appearances, a tail as well, could appear out of nowhere at the bottom of   
a sealed well, why couldn't people have thrown the bodies of dead   
monsters into a well hundreds of years ago?  
  
However, despite her crumbling concept of reality, the whimpering   
cat-baby had her mothering instincts raging to the fore. Picking up the   
tiny bundle of...um, kittenishness, she cuddled it to her chest, cooing to   
it gently. Sensing warmth and loving thoughts, the tiny creatures waved   
its tiny hands about, before latching onto her blouse and pulling closer.   
Her heart melting, Mikana tucked the baby's blankets more closely   
around its body. She could practically feel the anxious need the baby was   
giving off. Here was someone who wouldn't leave her when she wanted   
some affection. Here was someone who would love her unconditionally,   
who she could lavish her own love and care upon.  
  
She smiled, already thinking of the child as a permanent fixture of   
her life. What did it matter if the recipient of her attentions had cat ears,   
eyes and a tail. It was what was inside that counted, right? And Mikana   
knew that with her around to make sure of it, the inside of this little kitty   
cat would be pure as gold.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay then, that's the prologue ^_^. I know Kikyou seemed   
somewhat out of character, but when you think about it, when have we   
ever seen her in normal circumstances? Being attacked by your love one,   
or existing as an entity of hate inside a clay and bones body don't count.  
  
Also, does anyone know what Kagome's mother's name was? I had   
to make one up, and obviously I'll stick with it now, but I would like to   
know what it actually is.  
  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. More coming soon. Hopefully.  
Comments and criticism always welcome. Review, or contact me at   
Madame_Meow@hotmail.com.   
  
  



End file.
